Javier Reyes, the incoming chancellor of UMass Amherst, (Photo courtesy of UMass Amherst)

THIS FRIDAY, the University of Massachusetts community will gather in Amherst to celebrate the inauguration of UMass Amherst’s 31st leader, Chancellor Javier Reyes.

Dr. Reyes was born and raised in Mexico City, where he attended Tecnológico de Monterrey. He came to the United States in the late 1990s to pursue his doctorate in economics at Texas A&M University, and has been a rising star in higher education ever since. He has served in faculty and academic leadership positions at the University of Arkansas, West Virginia University, and the University of Illinois, Chicago. As chancellor at UMass Amherst, he now leads the top public research university in New England, with more than 32,000 students and a $245 million research portfolio.

Dr. Reyes is filling the sizable shoes of Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy, who by any measure was one of UMass Amherst’s most successful chancellors. Subbaswamy arrived in the US from India in the 1970s with only $8 in his pocket. He earned a PhD in physics, joined the faculty at the University of Kentucky, was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and held leadership positions at several public research universities before capping his remarkable career at UMass.

Friday’s inauguration of Chancellor Reyes comes just a few short weeks after the inauguration of Dr. Marcelo Suárez-Orozco as chancellor of UMass Boston. Dr. Suárez-Orozco came to the US fleeing tyranny and the death squads of Argentina’s military dictatorship. He learned English at a community college in California and remained in that state’s public higher education system, earning his doctorate at UC Berkeley and becoming a world-renowned scholar whose work focuses on education, globalization, and migration.

At a time when immigration is the focus of intense debate, both at the state and federal levels, these UMass leaders are living proof of the incredible impact immigrants make on some of our most important institutions. And while we participate in necessary and important policy discussions regarding the southern border, asylum, work authorizations, and other elements of our broader immigration system, we must also acknowledge and emphasize the critical role of immigration in our economy.

Here in Massachusetts, the influence of immigrants is obvious. According to a recent report from Boston Indicators, immigrants contribute $103 billion each year to the Greater Boston economy, make up 25 percent of the labor market, and represent 28 percent of business owners, despite only comprising 21 percent of the population. They are also our neighbors, coworkers, friends, and family members, and enrich our Commonwealth with their contributions, experience, and culture.

While 61 percent of immigrants in Greater Boston work in middle- or high-wage jobs, like those in healthcare, life sciences, tech, and business, 38 percent work in the lower-wage jobs that can be the most difficult for employers to fill in the current labor environment.

Just last week, the Boston Globe reported on the massive number of working-age adults who are leaving the state, a concern about which policymakers, economists, and the business community have been raising awareness for years.

Business leaders in Massachusetts know all too well how difficult it can be to find and retain talent. In fact, the US.Chamber of Commerce’s Worker Shortage Index categorized Massachusetts’ shortage as “most severe,” and cited the state’s 42 available workers for every 100 open jobs.

Immigration is part of the solution to ensuring that we have the talent necessary for our state economy to remain competitive in the long-term.

Thankfully, state policy and business leaders recognize this need. Gov. Maura Healey has been a national leader on immigration, both as governor and as attorney general. Our business community has also championed this topic, with Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce CEO Jim Rooney having an established legacy of outspoken leadership.

At UMass, we’re proud to celebrate two new chancellors and one retiring leader who have lived the immigrant experience, exemplify the American dream, and represent a model of success for all immigrants in Massachusetts.

Massachusetts’ public research university serves as a shining example of what we all stand to gain by making ourselves open to and welcoming of some of the world’s most talented people.

Marty Meehan is the president of the five-campus University of Massachusetts system, former chancellor of UMass Lowell, and a former Massachusetts congressman.